—About Marita

Marita Bollici is an executive advisor and coach, and coach mentor, whose work encourages a free thinking, values-oriented approach to personal growth and transformation.

Her work is deeply rooted in ontology, philosophy, and the arts. Her orientation affords a rich inquiry along a continuum between the perennially spiritual and modern humanist perspectives, in service of creativity and possibility for the client and their process.

Marita's fundamental concern is the conscious volition of her clients in the experience of their lives and the creation of their legacy. Masterful in her ability to elicit authentic, sustainable excellence from her clients and their teams, Marita is a grounded, light-hearted (sometimes silly), agile, and straight-forward champion. Clients experience a direct, simple process that gracefully encourages both depth and breadth of movement.

"The possibility of your life is that you get to have an experience that is the experience you choose. As opposed to some other experience. And the authenticity piece is, actually owning whether or not the content of your life speaks to that possibility. And, do you have the courage to confront that, and allow that possibility—that yearning, that potentiality, that idea of yourself that delights you—whether you will allow it to be integrated into your life or not."

—from the Coaches Rising podcast interview, “Ontological Coaching & the Power of Delight”

Marita attended Choate Rosemary Hall and the University of Michigan and has advanced degrees from the University of California at San Diego (music composition, Ph.D., 2002) and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (visual art, MFA, 2017). She holds her coaching practice as one point in a constellation of creative pursuits that express her fundamental ethic of giving her gifts and being of best use during her lifetime. Marita completed the year-long “Coaches Training Program” with Accomplishment Coaching, an International Coach Federation (ICF) accredited coach training program, in 2002. Upon the completion of the leadership tract, she co-led that program in New York City and Chicago.

In 2018, Marita launched the Whetstone Seminar for coaches. She now leads three Whetstone Seminars: Whetstone 1 for experienced coaches, Whetstone 2 for masterful coaches, and Whetstone Legacy for post-work individuals looking to create a purpose-based legacy while exploring their growth edge. She currently serves on the Advisory Board of The C-Suite Collective.

Marita regards herself as both a creative and a second-generation coach, following in the footsteps of her father, a high-school English teacher and cross country coach ("Ado’s Tornadoes: I run therefore I am"). From him, she learned how to approach the challenges of life with personal excellence, team excellence, immaculate self-care, and transformation through discomfort, all while maintaining a sense of humor and a light touch.

Today, Marita lives in Oak Park, Illinois, with her remarkable son, Calvin, and their dog, Boo, the official mascot of the Whetstone Seminars.

  • Working with Marita has allowed me to develop and grow both personally and professionally. She has a unique style in using actual work situations to enhance a point or perspective she is looking to make. She is very approachable, and her communication style lends to very succinct, topical discussions. Marita came highly recommended from my company and after spending several sessions with her, it is easy to see why. As someone who has advanced degrees, I would put Marita at the top of the list of any instructors I have encountered in both academia and in business.

    —senior manager, commercial real estate company

  • I acknowledge you for being an absolute genius… For your timelessness, all of the facets you. For being pristine and for being a super hero of a mom at the same time. For being an artist and a teacher and a guide. I acknowledge you for bringing joy, curiosity and wonder to every room. I think you are the best coach I’ve ever met, certainly the best one I have ever worked with. I particularly appreciate the incredible “cleanliness” of how you create client relationships.

    You helped me redesign my business from possibility, and positioned me to design this extraordinary next chapter.

    Thank you. You are a gift.

    —entrepreneur and executive advisor

  • Marita and I have been working together for over two years now. She's helped me navigate a wide range of areas when it comes to leadership, management and personal improvement. She is always well-prepared, relates back to previous sessions, and helps you improve, brick by brick. Most importantly, Marita adapts to YOU. She makes sure you get what YOU need to succeed and improve as a leader. It's not some cookie-cutter curriculum. It's powerful stuff.

    —co-founder and C-suite executive, fintech company

Marita has trained teams, worked with founders, CEO, C-suite, VP’s, and senior executives at the following companies: